This Month in History: July

5 pictures of Elvis Presley

July 8, 1954 - Elvis Hits the Radio

Elvis Presley made his radio debut with "That's All Right" on WHBQ in Memphis, Tenn. The King of Rock and Roll brought blues, country, and bluegrass together for a new modern sound. With his good looks, charisma, and those hip-shaking dance moves, Elvis rocketed up the music charts, selling over 500 million records. He starred in several movies and had a popular stage act in Las Vegas. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Graceland, his estate in Memphis, has over 500,000 visitors per year, more than any other privately-owned home in America. (Elvis images from Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, and the Smithsonian.)

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Babe Ruth in Yankee Stadium

July 11, 1914 - Babe Ruth's Major League Debut

George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. began his major league baseball career at age 19 as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. At the time, they were the best team in the league and Babe helped them win three World Series Championships. In 1920, he became a New York Yankee and helped lead them to win four championships. In 1935, Babe was traded to the Boston Braves and retired in May of that year. He was a member of the first class inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1936. The "Curse of the Bambino" became Boston lore. It was believed that selling Babe to the Yankees was why the Red Sox did not win a World Series from 1919 to 2004. (Babe image from Picryl)

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Jane Goodall and chimpanzees

July 14, 1960 - Jane Goodall Studies Chimpanzees

Jane Goodall arrived at the Gombe Stream Reserve, now the Gombe National Park, to begin her study of the wild chimpanzees in present-day Tanzania. She has spent 60 years studying the social and family interactions of chimpanzees. Goodall has written many books for children and adults, mostly about chimpanzees. She began the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to further research, conservation, and environmental education. (Images of Jane Goodall from Wikimedia Commons and lex.dk)

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Apollo 11 moon landing

July 16, 1969 - Apollo 11 Soars to the Moon

Apollo 11 carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center to land on the moon. On July 20, during a live television transmission, Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the moon and they spent a total of 21 hours on the surface. They put up an American flag and left commemorative medallions and a small disk, which included goodwill messages from 73 countries. President Nixon made a very long-distance call and spoke to Aldrin and Armstrong while they were on the moon. On July 24, Apollo 11 parachuted into the Pacific Ocean and the three astronauts were safely picked up by the USS Hornet. (Image from the Large Norwegian Encyclopedia)

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Factual information from: Graceland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the World History Project, the Jane Goodall Institute, and NASA.

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By BethN on July 3, 2023